About

Hi fellow adventurer, and welcome to Cragmama, a blog chronicling adventures both big, small, and everything in between! This website was started way back in 2009, born out of a desire to inspire healthy living for mamas-to-be. As an expectant mama myself, I was disappointed with the lack of information out there for those of us that wanted to continue rock climbing during their pregnancy. I began chronicling my journey into motherhood on the blog, both before and after my son was born. Those first early years of blogging and motherhood were filled with tips and tricks for all the “crag logistics” we constantly found ourselves running into on climbing trips – naps, diaper changes, camping, crag food, finding extra partners. Then eventually that turned into potty training, encouraging your child to hike on his/her own, etc. As my son grew, so did the topics I wrote about. You can find a lot of those “oldie but goodie” posts in the Creating a Cragbaby and Toddlers at the Crag sections of this site.

CragKiddo #1 in 2019

Then in 2013 our world was forever changed for the better when I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, this time a little girl. I was pleasantly surprised to find that much had changed in those 4 years since my first pregnancy. I now had access to climbing harnesses made specifically for expectant mamas, as well as MANY more options for maternity active wear. A few well-known female climbers started documenting their pregnancy journeys, such as Beth Rodden and Carrie Cooper. It became more and more routine to run into another pregnant climber, both at the gym as well as at the crag.

Cragbaby #2 in 2014

After my daughter was born, I found myself with a host of new material to write about, many of which were the “times two” version of older posts. (Some of those can be found here.) But once we began homeschooling in 2015, I realized I just didn’t’ have the time (or energy) needed to keep this blog rolling at the pace I’d been going. I had to prioritize, and family came first, so I backed off of my writing, sticking mostly with trip reports, and an occasional gear review sprinkled in here and there.

Fast forward to nearly 4 years later, and my adorable cragbabies have grown into amazing cragkiddo adventure buddies! And while I don’t have the HOURS of time to devote to my writing that I once did, I AM finding myself with a few more free chunks of time. And recently I’ve realized how much I’ve missed writing, collaborating with brands for gear reviews and giveaways, and all that great social interaction from like-minded adventurers.

Cragkiddo #2 in 2019

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you’ve been with me for a while, expect more action on this blog than what you may have seen in recent years. And if you are a relatively new follower, hopefully you like what you see, because you’re about to get more of it! Look for some reviews not only of gear, but of experiences and activities, as well as a new feature called “Crag Profiles.”

Partnering with Cragmama…
I welcome opportunities to write, guest post, review gear or travel experiences, etc. If you would like to partner with Cragmama in any capacity, including advertisements, feel free to drop me a line at info@cragmama.com. Some of the product links in my posts may be affiliate links, but only in situations where I strongly recommend a product that I have found to be superior after extensive personal use.

Our family in on of our happy places!

I love comments! Its nice to know that there are folks out there reading, and that my posts aren’t just floating aimlessly along out there in cyber space! Feel free to share your own ideas, opinions, and recommendations! Got a post idea you’d like me to write about, or a climbing question you’d like answered? Don’t hesitate to drop me a line!

43 Responses to “About”

I think it is great you are encouraging other families to be active and do what brings happiness!
It is very inspiring to know that other women and their families are interested in pursuing their lives, especially after birthing children. I feel your blog site is a great tool for families that have common interests or may need additional inspiration. I shared your link on Facebook as well as on my families website. I enjoyed the information you shared on your site and hope that others may enjoy too. 🙂

Hi Sam, thanks for the kind words! I am so glad you are enjoying the blog. Unfortunately the furthest north we’ve ever climbed was Kentucky…but Rumney and the Gunks are definitely on our list of destinations we want to hit in the next few years.

Hey I Like your stuff here a lot! My friend mentioned the name of your blog to me recently and Its neat to read about your outdoor adventures! I’m a mom to a 11 month old and I enjoy the outdoorsy stuff as well! Thanks for sharing your stuff!

Yes! Ive been searching the internet for weeks hoping that somehow i wasn’t a freak of nature that would be giving up my pithy attempts at keeping my not so child frioendly hobby a part of my life.

i have a 2.5 year old and a 3 month old….and i still like to think i’m a climber. We have the luxury of living near short topropes…so once the newbie is weaned I climb there. once a year we go to New River Gorge. Last year I climbed pregnant…this year will be interesting with both children needing attention. We shall see if I get anything done (especially as i’m still all soft from pregnancy)

Crag on! Don’t forget about “cragdaddies” either! We got our one month old in the pea pod, and he touched rock this weekend! Glad to see others taking the kids to the crag despite what the magazines tell us not to do. Looking forward to seeing other cragrats at the crag!

This is the first time I have seen your blog…. can’t wait to show my wife she will get a kick out of it. (no cragbabies yet) Anyway as one of the leaders for the rope rescue team in Stokes County, I just want to say thanks for the work you are doing identifying routes and with your guidebook. It will be a valuable tool for us to assist with access for rescue at hanging rock and neighboring climbing areas.
Thanks again and stay safe.
Glen

Great blog! My soon to be hubby and I love the outdoors and would love to have a family and continue our outdoor passions as well! I really needed to see your blog to know that yes you can integrate both 🙂 will continue to follow your blog! Great job!!

Love Pierre’s term…”cragrats” =) We have two of them. Our daughter, 2 yrs old now, went on her first climbing trip to The New (all the way from upstate NY!) right after she turned one. She could basically boulder before she could walk. Not bragging, just speaking the truth =) We also have a 5 1/2 month old son who will soon follow in his sister’s footsteps. Both dad and I are thinking that we better hit the crags more often, because before you know it, they’ll both be stronger than us!

hey erica,
great to come across your blog via the athleta chi site. it brought back fond memories of my climbing days in north carolina. i used to live in winston salem. a co-worker and his wife introduced me to climbing…a way to release stress from our corporate jobs.(thankfully i am now self-employed as a yoga teacher and writer) it was love at first toe hook. loved hanging rock and stone mtn.
best to you….kellen
p.s. my blog is http://www.kellenbrugman.wordpress.com, should you care to take a look. i used to do classes, “yoga for rock climbers”.

Just found your blog from a Twitter post and love it! We are a rock climbing family too (my husband just built a climbing wall for our kid’s room!) and have started a blog to use as a wellness circle of sorts. I’m going to email you. 🙂

I love your website! I just stumbled upon your site while researching child carriers. Great job! My wife and I have a one year old and we also love doing all of the outdoor adventures with him here in Montana. I especially appreciate and share your beliefs on the wilderness and God’s creation. I feel closest to God when I am in the mountains with my family.

Hi,
I am Jennifer Doherty, a freelance content writer. I love writing articles as a hobby on topics related to travel, photography, education and sports tour, shopping, hotel, and vacation, party etc. I have checked your site: cragmama.com and found some quite interesting articles on travel with lot of information. I would be really thankful, if you allow me to do relevant informative guest post in your blog. I would like to contribute an informative and relevant article for your site without charging you a penny . I guarantee you that the article will be 100% copyscape protected and will be of around 500 words. There will be “dofollow” links for my site.
Contact me at writerjennifer.doherty[@]gmail[.]com. Looking forward for a positive reply. 🙂

Love this blog!! My kid is definitely a crag baby! His first trip to the rock gym happened when he was around 6 weeks old and his first outdoor climbing trip happened sometime before he was 3 months old! So good to find like-minded mamas out there!

Fantastic blog! Good to see that many more folks are in the same boat (little one on the way – two months away), and that the resourceful don’t give in to the excuses that the majority of new parents do.

Keep up the good work and the writing! (but pleeease put a helmet on poor C at the base of the wall – a dropped quickdraw or cam from above, or a broken hold, is like a missile – it’s all it takes)

Thank you so much for the time and effort in creating this site. My husband and I are both climbers, and have to little girls that are also cragbabies. We have our third due in July. I am still running, climbing, and teaching my children the joys of their bodies and being outside. We are currently stationed here in North Carolina (originally from Utah… ) and I honestly just needed this kick in my brain today to remind me that we can make regular climbing trips much more of a routine than it has become.
In Utah the climbing trips were easy because we had tons of friends that climbed with their kids…
North Carolina – not so much. It has been much trickier taking our girls out here without all the fellow climbing families around to help lend a hand/spot/belay.

Julia – Not sure how I missed your comment a few months ago, but welcome! Always good to cyber-meet another cragmama 🙂

George – Thanks for the encouragement, and congrats on your newest addition! As far as the helmet goes, we always have one with us, and are sure to put it on C whenever we are in areas with loose rock or if he is situated in the “drop zone” with regards to gear/rock/etc.

Although my 2 boys are older (10 and 12) now it is great to see families not afraid to “get out there” with their little ones. Even 12 years ago camping in the mountains of Colorado with a 4 month old was not as common. We are currently living over seas but I cannot wait to return to Colorado at the end of the summer so we can return to our outdoor adventure ways. My boys and I look forward to returning to our climbing which we have been away from for too long.
Thanks again for giving new mamas the courage to incorporate their little ones into their outdoor lifestyles.
Cheyenne

Cheyenne – It does seem that more and more families are getting out there and adventuring. Refreshing, isn’t it! Thanks for the encouragement and best of luck in getting back into climbing this summer!

I love your blog! I am a mother of 10 month old twins and when I came across CragMama I felt that I met a kindred spirit. You’ve inspired me to finally build a bouldering wall in my backyard (I moved to a city with no gym several years ago and the closest gym is almost 2 hours away. 🙁 ). I thought having babies meant my climbing years were over for a while, but I think we can have two crag babies of our own.

Andrea – Double the cragbabies = double the fun. 🙂 Your comment is well-timed as I’ve got an interview coming up with a cragmama of TRIPLETS! Thanks for reading, and best of luck with your cragfamily adventures!

Great blog!!
My wife and I are expecting a baby in a few months and your stories are very inspirational! I love your philosophy and I can’t wait to teach my little one to enjoy the outdoors, climb and nature!
Even though in my country there are no mountains at all (Holland, flatest country in the world.. 🙁 ) there are plenty of climbing gyms and great climbing areas in Spain and France are a short flight away.

Hey Chris, Thanks for asking. Everything is with the publisher and last I heard we were on track for sometime this fall. I have seen the finalized drafts of Stone and Crowders and they are looking good. 🙂

Hi,
I’ve visited your site and found that your site’s themes are related with ours. Therefore, we’d like to place a 3-month site wide 125*125 banner ad (Do Follow) or Text Ad(Do Follow) on your site. And a sponsored post is also available. I don’t want CPM or CPC. Would you please quote me your price?
(If you don’t do 125 x 125 banner ad, we can also go with other size and type. Also, if you have other site that allow Ads, you can tell me)
Looking forward to your KINDLY reply！
Sincerely,
Karen

Hi Cragmama! I just found your blog, and I am so excited that it exists. Currently not a cragmama (craglady?), but will be excited to keep reading about your life, kids, and hard sends! BTW I hope you enjoyed Sauratown, I was there the really beautiful, sunny, and warm weekend and had a great time (except for the approach).
Good luck with everything! Brittany

Just read your review of Rocky Face Park! Sounds like y’all had a great time. A native, and still a resident of Alexander County, I feel blessed to have such a great park in our small county. I’m not a rock climber, but I love hiking and geocaching. Keep up the good work!

My wife and I love reading your blog. It’s inspiring to see your family so dedicated to staying active.

We are considering going to the New for the first time this upcoming Memorial Day. Our kids will be 4 and 2 by then. Can you recommend any kid friendly areas (easier access, flat bases, less crowded, etc)? I’m looking to get on 11c-12as while my wife likes more moderate stuff. Thanks!

Thanks for the message Scott – it’s always fun to hear that folks are enjoying the blog. You won’t regret making it up to the New. It very well may turn into your favorite climbing area. 🙂 There are a lot of kid friendly areas, but unfortunately the ease of access tends to make those areas also the most crowded. Summersville is a good bet for the range of climbs you are looking for, plus the lake is awesome too! Beauty Mountain is pretty easy access and nice and flat (and actually tends to not be AS crowded as other areas), but you have to be on the lookout for poison ivy. Butchers Branch is also a great place when it’s hot, and offers a wide range of routes, but the hike is a little longer/more strenuous. Bridge Buttress and Junkyard have the shortest approaches and will be the most crowded – and they are trad areas (not sure if you want trad or sport?) Endless wall is our fave, and the hike is pretty easy…but there are ladders to contend with for hte kids (we belay my oldest down, and the youngets is in a carrier.) that’s all i have time to write for right now, but i could write a book on the New, I love it so much, so I’ll let ya know if I thnk of anything else. Hope that helps!

Will you email me directly? I’d like to invite your family to my state’s homeschool convention as my guest. Would also like some climbing advice about taking kids as I am about to go outside for the first time since I started climbing 3 1/2 years ago. Thank you!